The 5 Best Home Safes for Fire and Burglary

A lot of people have large amounts of cash, jewels, or important documents that they need to keep safe from any natural or human dangers. Such items are of high value and are considered to be irreplaceable. You can take important documents such as your degrees, mark sheets, ownership papers, or even your birth certificate as examples. Even if it is possible to replace them, it is not easy.

To ensure these important items are kept safe from the elements, many people have resorted to using safes. There are two options for the average person: bank safes and home safes.

This type of safe has been widely adopted, however, it is still a less popular way to store valuables. This is because people usually need easy access to the contents of the safe and most of the time they only need it for a couple of seconds. 

Driving to the bank and waiting for your turn every time you need an item from the safe is time-consuming and highly inefficient. It is very inconvenient considering that you’re only going to spend a couple of seconds with the item. Bank safes are more commonly used forlong-term storage. 

Home safes are the only type of safes that can be used for safe storage of sensitive and important items. This type of safes can be further divided into different categories.

Types of Home Safes

If you are going to buy a safe for your own valuable items, you need to understand the different categories of home safes that are available. That is because every type is different and each one can be beneficial to different people who have different requirements.  There are mainly 3 categories of home safes that are manufactured for the consumer market and are affordable for the average person. They are as follows:

Commercial Safes 

This category of home safes is generally used by shop keepers or business owners who run their business from their homes. They are small and can be used to store cash, cheques, or transaction bills. This type of safe can be used to store valuable items such as contracts, documents etc. 

Floor Home Safes 

The home safes that can be mounted on the floor are the safest option. They are easier to hide from burglars in case of a break-in. They are also protected from the effects of fire and high temperatures since they are surrounded by extra insulation. This allows the owner to ensure that the contents of the safe will not be damaged in case of a fire.

Portable Safes

Now and then, you need to move your home safe to make sure that no burglar, who scouts your house posing as someone else, ever finds the place where all your valuable items are stored. If you have a permanently mounted safe, it is pretty much impossible to move it to a different location. For this purpose, portable safes were developed. 

Portable safes are designed to be lightweight yet sturdy enough to withstand any external force. Such safes are designed to be compact and generally weigh a lot less than their counterparts that are not portable. These types of safes are generally considered burglary safe since they can be hidden easily in different areas.

Brief Reviews of the 5 Best Home Safes for Fire and Burglary

Many home safes can be found for affordable prices online. However, there are only a few that actually provide the best features within a particular price range. This price range is defined by the average amount of money a consumer spends on a home safe. The 5 best fireproof security safes are reviewed below:

Viking Security VS-25BL Biometric Safe 

Use biometric safety precautions and safeguard your valuables such as cash, jewels, documents etc. by choosing the Viking VS-25BL Home Safe. With dimensions of 10 x 14 x 10 inches, the VS25BL is generally regarded as a good-quality safe that can be handled easily by the owner. Its locking bars are made of steel. Not to mention, it has a 20mm deadbolt system to ensure a solid build that is difficult, if not impossible, to penetrate for anyone who is not authorized to open the safe.

Pros

  • This Viking Home Safe utilizes biometric authentication as well as conventional methods such as PINs and passwords for safe and secure storage.
  • The biometric authentication uses fingerprint analysis to verify the owner and open the safe.
  • This system can store up to 32 fingerprints making it easily accessible for close confidants of the owner whom they trust with the content of the safe.
  • Inside the safe, there is a scratch-preventative carpet that has been laid down to ensure that your valuable jewels are not damaged.
  • It has a beeping system that reminds you to lock the safe in case you forget to do so.

Cons

  • It is not completely sealed. This lack of a complete seal can put your important items at risk of damage if a water pipe bursts or a fire wreaks havocin your living space. In that case, your contents might get damaged so you should skip this one if you specifically need a fire resistant safe.

SentrySafe HD4100

With a volume defined by 13.5 x 15.5 x 14.3 inches, the Sentry Safe HD4100 is designed for business owners who have to store important documents and contracts. It can be categorized as a fireproof safe box since it can withstand fire for up to 30 minutes at a crisp 1550  without any significant damage to the safe box. Homeowners can also use this box to store passports, social security cards etc.

Pros

  • The Sentry Safe is designed to store documents and important contracts. That is why it is completely sealed and can be considered a waterproof safe box that can protect delicate paper documents for almost 72 hours if it is submerged underwater.
  • It comes with 2 keys that are needed to unlock it.

Cons

  • The lack of an electronic lock system makes it less safe in terms of burglary.
  • You will always have to keep an eye out for your keys to ensure you do not misplace them.
  • It cannot be mounted to a single place so you have to pick a good hiding spot for it if you choose this home safe.

SentrySafe 1170 

The Sentry Safe 1170 can be categorized as a fireproof security safe that can withstand fire for about 30 minutes. Furthermore, it can provide secure locking mechanisms for the safety of the contents that are placed inside.

Pros

  • It is one of the best fireproof home safes that can withstand high-temperature fires that can damage your living space.
  • It can be used to store digital media items such as USBs, CDs, hard disks etc. in a secure way that does not compromise their integrity in any way in case of an emergency.
  • It is compact and can be moved according to the owner’s preference. This makes it a good option if you want a good-quality, portable fire-resistant safe box.

Cons

  • It does not include security features such as electronic buttons or biometric systems for verification, making it more susceptible to external threats from burglars. Basically, this Sentry Safe is not burglary safe.

Amazon Basics Home Keypad Safe

The Amazon Basics Home Safe is an affordable option for consumers since it comes with premium features at low costs. The 16.5 x 13.8 x 13 inches dimensions make it relatively big as compared to other portable or mounted safes. Itis made of heavy-duty carbon steel with an 8-gauge steel door and 14-gauge steel body. It has 2 live door bolts along with pry-resistant and concealed hinges for maximum security.

Pros

  • It contains pre-drilled mounting holes. This way you can mount the safe either on the wall or on the floor depending on your preferences.
  • It comes with tools and guides to help you install the mounting system yourself.
  • The safe contains an electronic keypad system for owner verification; however, it can also be unlocked by using a key if you allow for that option.
  • The burglary proof safe comes with a one-year limited warranty that provides you an incentive to use it.

Cons

  • It is relatively large in size which makes it difficult to carry around if you do not want to mount it permanently.
  • It is not fireproof safe.
  • Furthermore, the lack of quality customer service makes this home safe a bad pick if you ever run into some issues.

SentrySafe 1160

This particular Sentry Safe has been designed to be compact and fireproof. In fact, the Sentry Safe 1160 is one of the best fireproof home safes available to the general public. It has a total volume capacity of 0.25 cubic feet. You can store important files, documents, and even multi-media items such as USB drives, hard disks, CDs etc. 

Pros

  • The 1160 model can withstand fire for over half an hour at temperatures as high as 1550 which is a lot of heat.
  • The safe can keep its contents safe from harm at such temperatures.
  • At the same time, it is also waterproof and can survive almost 72 hours submerged underwater without taking any significant damage to its safety seal system.

Cons

  • The primary security system for the 1160 Safe is a privacy key lock.
  • Due to this analog approach to security, you have to make sure that you know where you put your keys so that you are not locked out of your own safety.

Buying guide

Home safes are actually one of the most commonly used items among the general population. We have established that these small safes can store your valuables and important documents safely. Let’s look into details of the basic features of home safes that are important:

  • The best feature that attracts people to this category of safes is that they are easily accessible yet safe at the same time. Unlike bank safes, you can be efficient and get immediate access to your documents and valuables much more easily this way. 
  • Home safes are designed to have thick walls that provide increased safety in case of fires or burglaries. All good-quality home safes are designed to be fireproof safes.

FAQ

Can we share the unlocking keys with others for our safes?

Never share your password or key with anyone whom you do not know or trust. A key can be easily copied and a password is easy to remember even if it is difficult. 

What is the best security system for a home safe?

Biometric security systems that use fingerprints for owner verification are the best quality security system for keeping your valuable safe.

How to keep your safe secure?

You can add extra security by hiding the safe itself in a location only you would know. You can also choose a difficult password that is very easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.

Closing Argument

When choosing your safe, remember which type and category of safes fulfills your requirements most. To figure this out, look at the contents that you want to store safely and try to understand what you need to secure them in a home safe. Different items require different types of safes. For example, if you want to secure your passport, you need a safe that has a special compartment for it. 

We hope we were able to answer the question “what is the best fireproof safe for home use?” Just keep your requirements in mind and choose one accordingly.

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